Police: Suspected driver in hit-and-run turns himself in

Aug. 23, 2013

Updated Aug. 24, 2013 8:44 a.m.

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Cpl. Anthony Bertagna of the Santa Ana Police Department holds up a photo of suspect Jorge Ocampo who is being sought in the fatal crash that left two men dead Friday in Santa Ana. KEVIN SULLIVAN, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Suspect Jorge Ocampo, reportedly an active gang member on parole, is being sought in the fatal crash that left two men dead Friday in Santa Ana. KEVIN SULLIVAN, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Police investigators survey the scene of a fatal crash that took place about 11:30 a.m. at Cabrillo Park Drive and East Fruit Street in Santa Ana. KEVIN SULLIVAN, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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A neighbor looks at the scene of a fatal crash that took place about 11:30 a.m. at Cabrillo Park Drive and East Fruit Street in Santa Ana. KEVIN SULLIVAN, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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A member of the Santa Ana Police Major Collision Investigation Team marks evidence at the scene of a crash that left two men dead Friday. KEN STEINHARDT, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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A police sergeant looks closely at an Audi sedan as officers search for the driver and passenger who fled the scene of a crash that left two men dead Friday in Santa Ana. KEN STEINHARDT, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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A resident comforts The Redwoods complex manager Nancy Valle as Jeanne Reyes, right, looks on. Police officers searched door-to-door at a near by complex but did not find the driver and passenger who fled the scene of a crash that left two men dead Friday in Santa Ana. KEN STEINHARDT, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Residents of The Redwoods condominiums spread the news after two men died Friday in a hit and run collision near the complex in Santa Ana. KEN STEINHARDT, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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A member of the Santa Ana Police Major Collision Investigation Unit looks inside a Nissan sedan at the scene of a crash that left two men dead Friday. Officers searched door-to-door at a near by complex but did not find the driver and passenger who fled the scene. KEN STEINHARDT, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Cpl. Anthony Bertagna of the Santa Ana Police Department holds up a photo of suspect Jorge Ocampo who is being sought in the fatal crash that left two men dead Friday in Santa Ana. KEVIN SULLIVAN, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

UPDATE: Santa Ana police say in a written statement posted on their website that Jorge Ocampo, sought in the hit-and-run that killed two people Friday, has turned himself in. Further details to come after a news conference scheduled to begin at 9 a.m.

SANTA ANA - Police seek a documented gang member believed to have fled from the scene of a crash Friday that left two men dead.

Authorities identified Jorge Ocampo, 21, as the driver of an Audi that ran a stop sign and broadsided a Nissan Sentra about 11:30 a.m. at Cabrillo Park Drive and East Fruit Street.

Witnesses said the Audi was playing loud music and was driving at high speed, Santa Ana Police Department Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said. The Audi, which was traveling northbound on Cabrillo Park, reportedly struck the Sentra, which was turning east.

"You can see there's no skid marks," he said. "So, he didn't even slow down."

The impact spun both vehicles, and they came to rest about 30 feet from the intersection.

The Nissan's driver was dead at the scene, and his passenger died about 40 minutes later at a hospital, Bertagna said.

Police identified the driver of the Nissan as Alejandro Bravo, 53, and the passenger as Juan Jose Luna Castro, 50. Both men were Santa Ana residents.

Witnesses told investigators that after the crash Ocampo got out of the Audi, tried and failed to open the passenger and driver’s doors of the Nissan, then walked into a complex of patio homes while talking on a cellphone.

Police initially indicated that they were looking for a passenger from the Audi but later determined that Ocampo was the only occupant of the vehicle.

Officers searched door-to-door at the complex but did not find the driver, Bertagna said. Authorities don’t know if Ocampo continued to flee on foot or if he called someone to pick him up.

Ocampo, who police described as a documented Santa Ana gang member who is on probation, is reportedly the registered owner of the Audi. Orange County Superior Court records show Ocampo pleaded guilty to a pair of gang-related misdemeanors in 2011, including failing to register as a criminal street gang member.

Alma Gamez, 25, a resident of The Redwoods complex on the other side of the intersection, ran outside after the crash. She said she and her mother couldn't open the doors of the Nissan to help the men slumped inside.

"We couldn't because it was stuck," she said. "We couldn't do anything."

An ambulance arrived shortly after.

Gamez said speeding is fairly common in the neighborhood because the streets are straight and have no stoplights.

"There's accidents every month," she said.

The area is home to many children, she said, in addition to those who come to use the sports fields and playground at Cabrillo Park.

"We need to do something," she said. "This is just too much."

Redwoods resident Mina Cano, 47, agreed speeding is a problem on the street. Over Memorial Day weekend, she said, a car crashed into her apartment, which faces the northwest corner of the intersection. She was displaced for several days while repairs were made.

"It would be nice if we could get the city to help us out a little," she said. "It's a family neighborhood. There's a park right there."

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